Chopping onions can cause difficulty for many people, especially when you are new to the kitchen or need to chop onions in large quantities. If you also feel burning sensation and tears in your eyes while cutting onions, then you can make it easier by adopting these tricks.
Why do tears come out while cutting onions?
Onions contain amino acid sulfoxides. When onions are cut, these elements combine in air to form a gas, propanethyl S oxide. This gas reacts with the water in the eyes, causing irritation in the eyes and tears start coming out. The higher the sulfur content in onions, the more irritation and tears will be produced.
Keep these tips in mind while cutting onions:
- use water
While cutting onions, keep a bowl of water nearby or soak a cloth and keep it with you. The gas released from onion reacts with water, which prevents tears from coming out.
- cut with peel
If there are excessive tears while cutting onion, do not remove the onion peel. Cut the onion into round rings along with the peel. With this, the onion peel will be removed easily and tears will also be reduced, due to which the cutting work will be faster.
By adopting these easy methods, you can make the process of cutting onions easier and avoid eye irritation.